Wood block



June 23, 1936. BRUCE 2,045,068

WOOD BLOCK Original Filed Dec. 8, 1930 I/ J ay a' 3 2905672 5. Bruce Patented June 23, 1936 UNITED STATES woop nLocK Robert G. Bruce, Memphis, Tenn., assignor to E. L. Bruce Company, Memphis, Tenn, a corporation of Delaware Original application December 8, 1930, Serial No.

500,963. Divided and this application September 28, 1934, Serial No. 745,983

4 Claims. (Cl. 2H)

My invention relates to a wood block for use in floors, walls, ceilings and similar places and has particularly in view the production of a fabricated block that can be laid without the 5 use of slip tongues, i. e. tongues that are slipped into position during the laying oi the blocks in the floor.

I Referring to the drawing for a more complete disclosure of the invention Fig. 1 is a top view of the finished block with fragmentary sections,

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3' is a section on the line 3-.3 01' Fig. 1.

The fabricated block consists preferably o! 15 short strips of flooring 2, with the grain running lengthwise of the strips, and having a groove 3 along one longitudinal edge of the strips into which fits the tongue 4 along the opposite edge of the adjacent strips. The underside 01' 20 the flooring strips is provided with the customary "hollow back 5 and there is the customary clearance or relief 6 between the strips. Before or after the strips have been assembled to 25 form a block, grooves Tare cut in the ends of the strips. The strips are fitted tongue to groove and are locked together in any suitable manner, such as by means of a metal spline 8, tightly fitting in thegroove 9, as fully described and claimed in the patent of C. W. Allen, No. 1,808,623, granted June 2, 1931. I

When the fabricated block is thus far assembled, there is an integral tongue l running lengthwise of the grain of the block, and a groove 35 I l also running lengthwise of the grain of the block.

In addition there are two grooves l heretofore described and running transversely of the grain of the strips. A block 01' such construction is 40 disclosed in the patent to Werner Fetz, No; 1,778,068, granted October 14, 1930, wherein slip tongues are used in the laying of the blocks in a floor.

It has been found advantageous to dispense with slip tongues in the laying of wood block flooring, using instead a wood block that has two integral tongues as disclosed in the patent to Fetz, No. 1,778,069, granted October 14, 1930.

standpoint of the block disclosed in Patent No. 1,778,068, having one tongue and three grooves, as compared with the block disclosed in Patent No. 1,778,069, having two integral tongues, is that u it is possible to use shorter strips for the former One of the advantages from a manufacturing as compared with the latter, for blocks having the same face dimensions.

In making the same size blocks, -i. e., with the same face dimensions, one having two integral tongues at right angles to each other, and the 5 other having a single integral tongue and three grooves, the overall dimension of the strips in the former will be longer than that of the strips in the latter to the extent of the depth of the tongue, which is normally about 54th of an inch. 10 The saving of material due to the use oi? shorter slats, where large quantities are used becomes a factor in the cost of production.

'By my improved'block, I am able to secure some of the advantages of both of the types of blocks disclosed in the Fetz patents.

Into one or the grooves I, I press a wood spline l2, with a sufllciently tight fit, so that it will remain securely fixed in position without the use of glue, although of course it could be glued in with the same eflect. The grain oi. the spline It runs lengthwise of the spline and serves to make the block more rigid. After the spline or tongue I2 is in position, it is re-machined, so as to bring it to exact size for freely fitting the groove of the adjacent block. Providing a tongue of this type permits the use of waste wood in manufacturing the spline.

In my copending application, Serial No. 500,963, filed December a, 1930 and of which this application is a division, I have particularly illustrated my invention in connection with two tongue blocks of the type in which the adjacent corners are cut away to permit interfltting of the blocks in a floor panel, as disclosed in the aforesaid patent to Fetz, No. 1,778,069. In this application, I have particularly illustrated my invention in connection with blocks of the right and left hand type as also disclosed in the aforesaid patent to Fetz, No. 1,778,069.

The block shown in Fig. 1, is a left hand block but it the tongue II should be inserted in the other transverse groove 1, then the block would become a right hand block. In making blocks of this type, the end of the spline i2 forms an extremital continuation of the integral tongue I 0 and thus adds to its strength and rigidity. The opposite end of the spline l2 lies flush with the bottom of the groove ll. Since the spline I2 is re-machined to bring it to exact size for fitting the groove of an adjacent block, it will be of the same size and contour at the extremities l3 as the integral tongue l0.

WhatIclaimis:

1. A floor block comprising two or more strips of wood united together with the grain running lengthwise of the strips, a tongue running lengthwise or the strips along one of the edges of the block, the transverse edges of the block being grooved, a spline securely fitted in one of the transverse grooves and extending beyond the strips to form an extremityof the tongues.

2. A floor block comprising a plurality of wooden pieces arranged longitudinally abreast and having a tongue in one side edge, said tongue having a part with the grain running substantially parallel to said pieces and an end part with the grain running crosswise thereto; the crosswise grain part being formed by a wooden spline inserted in an end groove in an end edge of the block and uniting the several pieces together in a squeezing iit within said groove.

8. A floor block comprising a plurality of flooring pieces arranged longitudinally abreast and formed with a tongue on one side edge and with a groove on the other side edge; its edges at opposite ends being grooved and a transverse spline in one of said grooved edges in a squeezing fit uniting the pieces together and extending flush with the tongue on the one side edge and with the bottom of the grooves on the other side edge of the block.

4. A iloor block having an integral tongue on one side edge with the grain of the wood running lengthwise of the tongue, a groove transversely of the grain of the wood on another side edge, a wooden spline secured in the transverse groove with the grain of the wood running lengthwise of the spline, an extremity of the spline forming an extremity of the tongue.

R. G. BRUCE. 

